Elena and traditional party of midget in La Palma

Every five years, in June, July and August, Santa Cruz de la Palma
celebrates the Bajada de la Virgen de las Nieves, its most important
celebration in honour of the Patron Saint of the island, the Virgen de
Las Nieves. This celebration repeats the order given by the bishop
Bartolomé García Ximénez in 1676 to take the Madonna of Las Nieves in
procession from the Church of Las Nieves to the town centre to implore
her to end a devastating drought which had destroyed harvests and killed
people and animals. In gratitude for the end of the drought, it was
decided that this celebration would be repeated every five years from
1680 onwards.
The heart of the Bajada de la Virgen is split up into two weeks: the so-
called Semana Chica and the so-called Semana Grande. The former begins on
the last Sunday of June, with the "Romería". It is when Palmeros, wearing
the typical costume, carry the 42 pieces of the silver altarpiece from
las Nieves church to El Salvador church, where the Madonna will stay for
nearly a month. During this week, some events such as the Pandorga, an
evening parade reserved for children along the dark streets of the
downtown carrying candle lanterns of different colours and shapes (stars,
dragons, cars etc.), accompanied by the music of a band.

The so-called The Big Week begins on the second Sunday of July and it
encompasses the highlights of this celebration, including the parade of
the Mascarones (Gigantes y cabezudos), that is, big-headed dolls
representing different characters such as the Bruja (witch), Luna de
Valencia (the Moon) or the Biscuit. On Wednesday, they perform the Minué
or a 18th century dance dating from 1945. It was introduced to replace a
dance of children. Every year it has different music, composed by the
Palmeran Luis Cobiella Cuevas.

However, the highlight of the festival is the Danza de los Enanos, born
to honour the Virgen de las Nieves. It dates from 1833 on occasion of the
celebration of Corpus Christi. Don Manuel Díaz (born in 1774 and dead in
1863) priest of El Salvador church, who was very open-minded and fond of
celebrations, made sassy devils of modeled paper for this dance. Félix
Martín Pérez, teacher of Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Santa Cruz de La
Palma, went on using this material in this century. In the last editions
of Bajada de la Virgen, plastic fiber has been used instead.
In 1905, Miguel Salazar, a merchant and person in charge of organizing
this event, had a brilliant idea of introducing a transformation: in the
first part of this event, men sing and dance dressed as monks, Japanese,
seamen, astronomers, students, Greeks etc. In every Bajada both the dance
and the song has to be different. On the contrary, the polka that
accompanies the Danza de los Enanos in the second part of this festivity
has always been the same, composed in 1925 by Palmeran Domingo Santos
Rodríguez. In just a few seconds, the choir transform into enanos
(dwarfs) and dance the fast and thrilling polka played by the Banda de
Música Municipal de San Miguel (the San Miguel Municipal Music Band).

The enanos will dance all night along the cobbled streets of Santa Cruz de la Palma, which are packed with spectators. Their last dance will take place in front of the Barco de la Virgen, at La Alameda, early in the morning, under the first rays of the sun. And they will say goodbye for five years.

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